Smiling for the screen,
a mask I wear.
Inside,
I hide a truth laid bare.
Lost in the tide
of countless eyes,
A crowded world
Blind to my cries.
The real me,
hidden from the frame,
A soul unseen,
though I look the same.

it scares me to know how far light can travel.
how stars billions of light years away
can die and yet still be seen on earth.

and it scares me that i can only hope
that the light i leave on the world,
lingers for as long as that.

or even

lingers at all.

and who's to stop me?
management
have managed
their time productively.
                                       shudder to think
                                       they'd begrudge a
                                       subordinate the time
                                       to blast their feelings
                                       off the clock.
leaning over window panes
that lack
balconies to catch
their workers.
                                     my 1-1s have started and ended
                                     with a heart in my mouth
                                     making it harder for the words
                                     'i quit' to get out.

can i just pivot off of can i just piggyback can we just swivel can i put a pin in you and sew up the wounded look that face carries to the coffee machine every lunch Oskar take some sick leave or just leave at this point we haven't identified your fit and our culture of inclusion excludes delays in action i just don't understand how personal problems seep into the workplace what its been five months which is half the time you were with him can't it
just be let go?
just let me go
you're being let go
i want to let go.
                                                    ~ HR will be in touch. ~

I think of those people,
time and time again.
I tend to think of those,
who left me with much pain.

They tend to be the people,
that started like a dream,
I used to think they were,
the nicest I have seen.

They brought a lot of laughter,
and smiles and jokes my way.
They were the kind of people,
I really wished would stay.

I got used to their presence,
and I felt more secure,
I slowly let them inside,
I opened up my door.

But it was wishful thinking,
to wish that they would stay,
Because, just like shooting stars,
they passed and flew away.

Leaving behind those memories,
that were not meant to be,
Just like a piece of hot iron,
they left a mark on me.

I don't see them any more,
but if I did, I'd say,
"Thanks for the times you made my day,
by having the right words to say.

"Thanks for genuinely,
pointing out the flaws in me.
Though it was gradually,
you played a part in changing me.  

Perhaps we are not meant to last,
Only to be a memory of the past.
Even though we drifted apart,
you'll always have some place in my heart."

I create my own way
I am unique
I am a craze
Ready to sweep nations
Off their feet
And into my gaze
Where a hug
Full of warmth with care
Is waiting
To comfort
The inner workings
Of their internal maze 💖✨

If there is one thing I have learned on my travels,
it is that
the currency of eternity is the fingerprints you leave on the fabric.

The slow imprint of a million miles walked. Set free your timid heart and
leave behind an outline of an essence.

An amorphous mold that denies the shape of the world around it.
Be a surprise.
Let them label you a miracle or a sickness.

In time they will come to realize
the edge of the world is a place to dance.
Reach forward, and gift sound to silence.

"If you lie on the grass,
you can feel the heartbeat of the world."

We all play our parts in its symphony  
and I — perhaps I am the hydraulophone  

I like imagining myself as water.
The river running through Liyue.

It is smooth and calm,
unperturbed by anything

Even words — they fall like fragmented shards.
Leaving ephemeral ripples on the surface.

At least, this is what I aspire to.
But at my core, I am still frost.

Push too hard and I can still turn to ice.

And the pagophone in the ensemble,
playing to its own beat.